The escalating demand for high density and performance impose severe requirements on semiconductor fabrication technology, particularly interconnection technology in terms of providing reliable low R×C (resistance×capacitance) interconnect patterns with higher electromigration resistance, wherein submicron vias, contacts and trenches have high aspect ratios. Conventional semiconductor devices comprise a semiconductor substrate, typically doped monocrystalline silicon, and a plurality of sequentially formed interlayer dielectrics and conductive patterns. An integrated circuit is formed containing a plurality of conductive patterns comprising conductive lines separated by interwiring spacings, and a plurality of interconnect lines, such as bus lines, bit lines, word lines and logic interconnect lines. Typically, the conductive patterns on different layers, i.e., upper and lower layers, are electrically connected by a conductive plug filling a via hole, while a conductive plug filling a contact hole establishes electrical contact with an active region on a semiconductor substrate, such as a source/drain region. Conductive lines are formed in trenches which typically extend substantially horizontal with respect to the semiconductor substrate. Semiconductor “chips” comprising five or more levels of metallization are becoming more prevalent as device geometry's shrink to submicron levels.
A conductive plug filling a via hole is typically formed by depositing an interlayer dielectric on a conductive layer comprising at least one conductive pattern, forming an opening through the interlayer dielectric by conventional photolithographic and etching techniques, and filling the opening with a conductive material, such as tungsten (W). Excess conductive material on the surface of the interlayer dielectric is typically removed by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). One such method is known as damascene and basically involves forming an opening in the interlayer dielectric and filling the opening with a metal. Dual damascene techniques involve forming an opening comprising a lower contact or via hole section in communication with an upper trench section, which opening is filled with a conductive material, typically a metal, to simultaneously form a conductive plug in electrical contact with a conductive line.
High performance microprocessor applications require rapid speed of semiconductor circuitry. The control speed of semiconductor circuitry varies inversely with the resistance and capacitance of the interconnection pattern. As integrated circuits become more complex and feature sizes and spacings become smaller, the integrated circuit speed becomes less dependent upon the transistor itself and more dependent upon the interconnection pattern. Miniaturization demands long interconnects having small contacts and small cross-sections. As the length of metal interconnects increases and cross-sectional areas and distances between interconnects decrease, the R×C delay caused by the interconnect wiring increases. If the interconnection node is routed over a considerable distance, e.g., hundreds of microns or more as in submicron technologies, the interconnection capacitance limits the circuit node capacitance loading and, hence, the circuit speed. As design rules are reduced to about 0.12 micron and below, the rejection rate due to integrated circuit speed delays significantly reduces production throughput and increases manufacturing costs. Moreover, as line widths decrease electrical conductivity and electromigration resistance become increasingly important.
Cu and Cu alloys have received considerable attention as a candidate for replacing Al in interconnect metallizations. Cu is relatively inexpensive, easy to process, and has a lower resistively than Al. In addition, Cu has improved electrical properties vis-à-vis W, making Cu a desirable metal for use as a conductive plug as well as conductive wiring.
An approach to forming Cu plugs and wiring comprises the use of damascene structures employing CMP. However, due to Cu diffusion through interdielectric layer materials, such as silicon dioxide, Cu interconnect structures must be encapsulated by a diffusion barrier layer. Typical diffusion barrier metals include tantalum (Ta), tantalum nitride (TaN), titanium nitride (TiN), titanium (Ti), titanium-tungsten (TiW), tungsten (W), tungsten nitride (WN), Ti—TiN, titanium silicon nitride (TiSiN), tungsten silicon nitride (WSiN), tantalum silicon nitride (TaSiN) and silicon nitride for encapsulating Cu. The use of such barrier materials to encapsulate Cu is not limited to the interface between Cu and the dielectric interlayer, but includes interfaces with other metals as well.
In implementing Cu metallization, particularly in damascene techniques wherein an opening is formed in a dielectric layer, particularly a dielectric layer having a low dielectric constant, e.g., a dielectric constant less than about 3.9, various reliability, electromigration and resistance issues are generated. Reliability issues stem, in part, from the use of Ta or TaN, the barrier layers of choice in Cu metallization. Ta has been found to lack adequate adhesion to various interlayer dielectric materials, particularly, interlayer dielectric materials having a low dielectric constant, such as, a dielectric constant (k) less than about 3.9 such as, fluorine (F)-containing oxides, e.g., F-containing silicon oxide derived from F-doped orthosilicate (F-TEOS). Lack of sufficient barrier layer adhesion to dielectric layers results in delamination with attendant reliability issues. TaN has been found to lack adequate adhesion to Cu and Cu alloys filling a damascene opening. Moreover, Ta and TaN are typically deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques, such as ionized (I) PVD. The resulting layer of Ta is typically β-phase Ta (β-Ta) which exhibits a relatively high resistivity, e.g., about 200 to about 250 μohm-cm. TaN is typically deposited with a nitrogen (N2) content of about 30 to about 55 at. %, and exhibits a resistivity in excess of 200 μohm-cm.
The barrier layer adhesion problems adversely impact electromigration resistance and device reliability, while the high resistivity of TaN and β-Ta manifestly adversely impact circuit speed. Accordingly, there exists a need for reliable, low resistance interconnects, particularly Cu and Cu alloy interconnects formed in low dielectric constant materials, and for enabling methodology.